mg: Large water usage for the outbuildings or garden?
Yep. My pressure tank is outside. Here in southeast Texas (just north of Houston) freezing is an almost unheard of anomaly.So are you saying you galvanized monstrosity is outside ?
Yes. I *think* that's what I want to do... and the 'Tee'd' configuration is kinda what I'm seeing on the store displaysSounds like you are wanting to replace your Galvanized pressure tank with a Bladder type tank.
Most of the Bladder type tanks that I have saw are just "Tee'd" into the line between the well and the home.
Yes. We have an 'oversized' (2hp) pump to accomodate the outbuildings.Steve,
Sounds like you have an older style pressure tank.
Was there a reason the original tank was so big?
I understand (and agree with) that logic, but... I was under the assumption (there's that word 'assume' you know what they say about that :hideI think it is the "bladder style" that allows the smaller tank sizes. (I am guessing that the galvanized tank does not have a bladder seperating the water and air, so a larger tank was needed to deal with some water absorption of the air?
that my big ole galvanized tank was a bladder tank, but... maybe not.
The air admittance valve is in the line between the well head and the pressure tank (I THINK that it's between the pressure switch and the tank, but wouldn't swear to it). There is no air admittance valve on the tank.your current setup will have an air admittance valve(or similar device though may be called somethign else) to put air into the tank.
I have my own water well. We had it drilled when we built the house in the fall of 1998.
The pressure tank that is on it is rather large and obtrusive, galvanized monstrosity (I was told that it has a capacity of 150 gallons. It is about 6' tall and 20" in diameter). The current plumbing configuration has a pipe (1½", I believe) coming from the well head into the front of the pressure tank (about 18" above ground level) with the pressure switch on this line. There is a pressure guage in the front of the tank (about mid-way up the tank) as well. Out the back side of the tank (about 3" above ground) is another 1½" pipe with a valve in it, that has a 90° elbow on it, taking it below ground and into the house.
The pressure tanks that are currently for sale in the DIY stores (Lowes, Home Depot and Tractor Supply) are different 'beasts'. They are generally smaller (considerably smaller) and painted, rather than galvanized. But... the plumbing diagrams that I've seen for them are where the real difference is. What I see for plumbing of these is that the pipe from the well head goes directly underground and to the house... after passing through a 'T' union that takes a 'sample' into the pressure tank (the pressure switch and pressure guage seem to be on this 'sampling line' that goes into the pressure tank).
What I'm hoping for is someone who is familiar with both of these systems that can confirm what I'm seeing (and outlining here) so that I don't really screw something up.
I appreciate the help....
BTW... incidental notes... we don't have a frost line here... at all. And don't normally have to really concern ourselves with frozen pipes, either. Boiling the water in the pipes is a bit more of a concern, though (LOL :sidelaugh)[/QUOTE
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I have one of each on two separate wells; galvanized and bladder (not diaphragm). I have no experience with diaphragm tanks although the connections are the same as the bladder tanks for home owner use.
If your galvanized tank is a hot dipped tank I suggest you keep it. I'm on my third bladder tank in 25 years while the galvanized tank of 35 years is still doing its thing. Sure it gets water logged over a period of time but that's easy to take care of as long as planet earth has atmospheric air.
Oh, and just try moving a bladder tank out of a well house that is full of water and won't drain out of the disconnected pipe. Not fun at all in an awkward location.
Yes, the systems are different. Your pump pulls water from the well and then pushes it into the tank and house plumbing. A deep well has a submerged pump that pushes the water out of the well to the pressure tank and house plumbing. The pressure tank can be Tee'd anywhere into the line that leaves the well.wow, i didn't realize how un-complicated my well setup is. I have a dug well, dug in 1890, and it's stone lined. it's shallow, only about 20 feet from ground level to bottom, and it's about 5 feet in diameter. I'd say the water level has about 15 feet of water. it's an artesian well, always filling up if you don't use it. there is an overflow pipe which lets it spill into my brook, which is about 30 feet away from it.
my well is 150 feet from my house, and has a very basic suction line with a strainer in the well cavity. the line is that flexible abs/pvc crap, about 1 1/4 " in diameter. it goes into my cellar, and directly, with no Tee business into the inlet of a 2hp Jet pump. the pump's outlet is connected to a 25 gallon bladder tank, and then into the mainframe of my house from there. we have steady water all the time, and although the well is old, we never have to do any maintenance on it, and it always tests perfect.
maybe it's different with a drilled well and the pump down in it?
The analogy is quite incorrect. Pressure tanks are there to provide a way to control the off/on cycle of the pump. Water cannot be compressed but air can. The size of the pressure tank is directly related to the amount of water (drawdown) that is available for use in the house before the pump is asked to start back up due to falling water pressure. The larger the pressure tank, the more drawdown water is available. However, if the tank is too large, then the house suffers from low water pressure for too long a time. Not a fun thing when you're in the shower.the main reason for the tanks in home plumbing is to help dampen the pressure surges when the pump turns on and to provide pressureized water right away rather than waiting for the pump to build up pressure. the system works basically the same as the charging system on a car/tractor think of the pump as an alternator and the tank as the battery. the battery is there to provide power when the alternator cant and it also acts like a voltage buffer for when the alternator output varies. so back to the water the tank will hold pressureized water until a faucet is turned on then as tank pressure drops the pump kicks on and runs until after the water is turned off and the pressure in the system is back to the cutoff point.
